SOCCER: As Stockport County rose from basement no-hopers to the first division establishment, one magazine has followed them all the way - now the final whistle is about to be blown on The Tea Party.

The Tea Party has been the voice of County's fans through a remarkable ten years for the club.

But soon the award-winning fanzine will be no more - for editor Dave Espley has decided to call it a day.

Falling sales during the last couple of seasons mean that next month's issue of The Tea Party - the 100th - will be the last.

Dave has spent around 30 hours a month for the last decade producing the magazine which won 'Best Fanzine Award' from respected football magazine Four-Four-Two.

The Tea Party, which took its name from Alice in Wonderland (County's nickname is the Hatters), holds a place in the heart of Stockport County fanatics.

Compiled at Dave's Hazel Grove home, the magazine has given County's fans a voice during an eventful decade that even the most optimistic of supporters could not have predicted.

County had just won promotion from the old fourth division for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century - surviving on gates of 2,500 - when Dave started the fanzine in 1991.

Ten years on, the club is established in division one and boasts an average crowd of over 6,000.

Dave said: "It has been a thoroughly enjoyable ten years both as a County fan and as editor of The Tea Party.

"Apart from winning promotion and reaching the semi-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, the highlight was probably the FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers in 1994.

"It put us on the footballing map and gave us some great national media coverage.

"On the down side, the club actually tried to get us banned for breaking street trading regulations in 1993.

"After doing some research, we found out that magazines and newspapers were exempt from that piece of legislation."

So why finish The Tea Party now?

Dave said: "The magazine has been looking a bit stale for a while, partly due to the falling number of regular contributors.

"While still representing far better value and being a far better read than any other County publication, it has become a bit repetitive.

"It seems as though the magazine is drawing to a natural halt.

"The fact is that sales are down to a level which means they occasionally do not cover the costs.

"I have always said that when that happened I would stop.

"I am extremely grateful to the loyalty from readers over the years.

"They are clearly intelligent people who realise that supporting a football club is about more than blind devotion to every aspect of the club's administration."

The club has also made progress off the pitch during the last decade, transforming Edgeley Park from a ramshackle ground into an 11,500 all-seater stadium.

County's fans have also changed, but not for the better according to regular Tea Party contributor Rob Donaldson.

Rob said: "I used to feel proud about being a County fan.

"I enjoyed listening to what other County fans had to say, chant and sing at matches, because it was always supportive of the club, management and the team - no matter what the circumstances.

"Now all that has gone. The fans have forgotten just how little money we have to survive on, just one step below the greedy league.

"Someone needs to remind the fans of just how remarkable it is that we are surviving in the first division, despite the extremely limited assets we have."

But Dave Espley was optimistic when talking of County's chances of beating the drop this season.

He said: "Survival in division one is all that we can expect this season.

"Manager Andy Kilner has had to cope with so much off the field over the last year or so and I am confident that he will turn things round for us."

What a shame that The Tea Party will not be around to follow County's progress.

TEA PARTY HIGHLIGHTS

ISSUE 1 (SEPT 1991): "I think that all those who have contributed to this first issue should get into the Guinness Book of Records for the speed at which they have been able to put it together. From taking the decision to go ahead to getting it to the printers took less than two weeks and we hope you will be as pleased with the results as we are."

ISSUE 50 (NOV 1995): "Although a lot of people have been saying things like 'here's to the next 50 issues', it is difficult to see us progressing that far. Sales this season have been really disappointing. Some might realise that for £1 you will not get a better source of County stuff, but then again, some people are so daft that they will never touch it because it is not an official publication."

ISSUE 53 (JAN 1996 - following 3-2 FA Cup replay defeat to holders Everton): "Why can't County lose like any normal underdog in the FA Cup? Oh no, they have to take you to the edge of euphoria before sending you over into the depths of despair."

ISSUE 65 (APR 1997 - during the season which saw the club win promotion to division one and reach the semi-final of the Coca-Cola Cup): "Whatever the outcome of this season, for those of us privileged to have been there, this has to have been the most amazing period in County's history."

ISSUE 87 (DEC 1999 - following County's first ever victory at Manchester City): "It reminded me why I enjoy watching County. County fans get behind their team when things are not going to plan. Maybe that is because as County fans, expectations have already been exceeded simply by playing the likes of City and Blackburn in the league, whereas in Moss Side the opposite is true."

ISSUE 94 (DEC 2000): "I have just read that Stockport County are going to be renamed Man-Stock County and are moving from Edgeley Park to Maine Road in Manchester. I have just double checked the calendar just to make sure that it is not April 1!"